Conductor spacers



y 8, 1963 R. w. HARMON 3,091,658

CONDUCTOR SPACERS Filed Feb. 15, 1961 l3 I6 26 37 2O 24 35 g 3 INVENTOR.

ROBERT W. HARMON.

ATTORNEY United, States Patent 3,091,658 CONDUCTOR SPACERS Robert W. Harmon, Doylestown, Ohio, assignor to The ()hio Brass Company, Mansfield, Ohio, a corporation of New Jersey Filed Feb. 13, 1961, Ser. No. 88,870 '7 Claims. (Cl. 174-428) This invention relates to high voltage transmission lines and, more particularly, to conductor spacers for transmission lines incorporating multiple conductors.

The general purpose of the invention is to simplify the design and reduce the cost of transmission line spacers while increasing the reliability and ease of installation thereof.

Certain problems which arise in connection with the design and construction of high voltage transmission lines incorporating bundle conductors may be conveniently solved by the employment of conductor spacers in which the conductor cables are restrained against independent rotational movement in a plane perpendicular to the conductors. Such independent rotational movements arise because of the torsional forces in the conductors and spacers which are designed to prevent such movement are designated as torsionally restrained spacers. Certain types of spacers embodying structures useful for providing torsional restraint and possessing other advantages are disclosed, for example, in United States Patent No. 2,97 3,- 402, issued February 28, 196 1, to John J. Taylor. The present invention is concerned with improvements in one form of the transmission line spacers disclosed in the above referred to John J. Taylor application.

The invention, together with the features and advantages thereof, will be more understood by reference to the following detailed specification and claims, taken in connection with the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a torsionally restrained spacer in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 2 is an elevation view, partly in section, of the spacer of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a section view of the conductor clamp taken in the direction 33 in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 4 is a section view of another embodiment of the conductor clamp of the invention.

Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2, the spacer comprises two conductor clamps 11 and 12 and a spacer bar 13. The conductor clamps 11 and 12 are attached to two conductor cables 14 and 15 to hold the cables in transversely spaced relation and to permit independent movement of the cables only in the longitudinal direction. Additionally, the spacer 10 forms an electrically conductive path between the two cables 14 and 15 so that the cables function electrically as a single conductor of a transmission line.

The two clamps 11 and 12 are of the same construction, shown in the sectional views of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3. The clamp 11 comprises two metal body parts 16 and 17, each formed as an integral cast piece. The body members are formed toward the transversely outward extremity thereof with two longitudinally extending grooves '18 and 19 in which the cable 14 is received.

The lower body part 17 is formed along the transversely inward extremity thereof into two pieces 20 and 21 which are spaced in the perpendicular direction from the plane determined by the cables 14 and 15. The piece 20' is supported in spaced relation from the piece 21 by two columnar pieces 22 and 23 which are formed integrally with the body of the part. The piece 21 has an inwardly directed stud 24 projecting from the interior face thereof and the piece 21 has a stud 25 projecting inwardly 3,091,658 Patented May 28, 1963 "ice from the interior face thereof, the two studs being opposed to form a pivot for the spacer bar 13.

The body part 16 complements the body part 17 along the portion thereof transversely outward from the pieces 20 and 21. The body part -16 is secured to the body part 17 by two cap screws 26 which are suitably recessed in openings in the top of the body part 16 and threaded into openings in the body part 17. In circumstances where it is desirable to limit the compressive forces on the cable 14 and the parts 16 and 17, the ledge 27 on the body part 17 may be utilized as a stop for the body part 1 6 and insures that the parts engage the cable at a predetermined pressure when the set screws 24 are tightened.

The body part 16 is formed with an inwardly extending tongue or keeper 28 which extends downwardly and away from the body part 16 and between the pieces '20 and 21 and the studs 24 and 25 of the body part 1 7. The keeper 28 performs two functions, first in pivoting upon the stud 23 to provide-an advantageous lever ratio, and thereby improve the clamping action of the body part 16 against the body part 17, and in closing the space between the studs 24 and 25 to act as a retainer for the spacer bar 13.

The spacer bar 13 is constituted by two flat metal pieces 29 and 30 which have the outer ends separated to form arms 31 and 32 for the conductor clamp 11 and arms 33 and 34 for the conductor clamp 12. Each pair of arms has aligned openings for receiving the studs of the associated conductor clamp, as e.g. openings 35 and 36 in the arms 31 and 32 for the studs 24 and 25.

The bifuracte relation of the pieces of the spacer bar is such that the arms 31 and 32 are elastically compressed between the pieces 20 and 21 of the conductor clamp 11 and engage the interior surfaces 37 and 38 thereof. Similarly, the arms 33 and 34 are elastically compressed between spaced pieces of the lower body part of the conductor clamp 12. The elastic forces exerted between the arms of the spacer bar serve to hold the spacer bar in place over the studs 24 and 25; provide a measure of energy dissipating friction between the contacting surfaces of the arm and the conductor clamp, useful during out-of-phase longitudinal motions; and insure a good electrical connection between the spacer bar and the conductor clamps. The two pieces 29 and 30 may be held together along the central part of the pieces by frictional forces (as shown); by interengaging projections and recesses; or by a screw fastener.

In FIG. 4 the arms 40 and 41 of the spacer bar are compressively received between the pieces 42 and 43 of the lower body part 44 and pivotally carried on a pin 45 which extends through the pieces 42 and 43, the arms 40 and 41 and the tongue 46. The tongue 46 is held centrally between the arms of the spacer bar by means of bushings 47 and 48 to prevent binding engagement of the tongue with the arms of the spacer bar. The opening in the tongue through which the pin 45 is received and the length of the bushings 47 and 48 is such that the upper body part 49 may move freely with respect to the lower body part to permit insertion of the conductor cable in the cable grooves. The construction of FIG. 4 is useful in circumstances where the upper body part 49 must be retained whether or not the clamping screws are in place.

The following claims are directed to combinations of elements which embody the invention or inventions of this application.

I claim:

'1. A spacer for holding two conductor cables in spaced lateral disposition while preventing separate rotational movement thereof, comprising a spacer bar and two conductor clamps, one at one end and one at the remaining end of the bar, each for connection to one of the cables and each conductor clamp comprising two body parts with opposed longitudinal cable receiving grooves adjacent the transversely outward extremity thereof, a first one of the body parts having a central part extending transversely inward and having pieces thereof spaced apart perpendicular to the plane of the cables, the spacer bar having bifurcate end parts thereof received between the two spaced pieces of the first body part, pivot means for the spacer bar comprising means carried by the first body part and extending at least through each of the bifurcate end parts of the spacer bar, and screw fastener means extending between the two body parts for clamping the body parts together and upon a cable.

2. The invention in accordance with claim 1 in which the first body part is formed with a longitudinally extending shoulder between the cable groove and the two pieces and in which the screw means extends through the second one of the two body parts and into the shoulder for drawing the second one of the two body parts toward the first body part.

3. The invention in accordance with claim 2, in which a tongue extends from the second body part to between the end parts of the spacer bar.

4. The invention in accordance with claim 1, in which the pivot means comprises opposed inwardly directed studs having the adjacent ends thereof spaced apart perpendicular to the plane of the cables and in which a tongue extends from the second one of the two body parts between the studs, the tongue comprising a keeper for the second body part and spacer bar.

5. The invention in accordance with claim 1, in which the pivot means comprises a pin extending through openings in the spaced pieces of the one body part and through openings in the arms of the spacer bar.

6. The invention in accordance with claim 5, in which a tongue extends from the second one of the two body parts between the end parts of the spacer bar and in which the pin extends through an opening in the tongue.

7. The invention in accordance with claim 1, in which the bifurcate end parts of the spacer bar are elastically compressed between the spaced pieces of the first body part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,973,402 Taylor Feb. 28, 1961 

1. A SPACER FOR HOLDING TWO CONDUCTOR CABLES IN SPACED LATERAL DISPOSITION WHILE PREVENTING SEPARATE ROTATIONAL MOVEMENT THEREOF, COMPRISING A SPACER BAR AND TWO CONDUCTOR CLAMPS, ONE AT ONE END AND ONE AT THE REMAINING END OF THE BAR, EACH FOR CONNECTION TO ONE OF THE CABLES AND EACH CONDUCTOR CLAMP COMPRISING TWO BODY PARTS WITH OPPOSED LONGITUDINAL CABLE RECEIVING GROOVES ADJACENT THE TRANSVERSLY OUTWARD EXTREMITY THEREOF, A FIRST ONE OF THE BODY PARTS HAVING A CENTRAL PART EXTENDING TRANSVERSELY INWARD AND HAVING A CENTRAL PART EXTENDING PERPENDICULAR TO THE PLANE OF THE CABLES, THE SPACER BAR HAVING BIFURCATE END PARTS THEREOF RECEIVED BETWEEN THE TWO SPACED PIECES OF THE FIRST BODY PART, PIVOT MEANS FOR THE SPACER BAR COMPRISING MEANS CARRIED BY THE FIRST BODY PART AND EXTENDING AT LEAST THROUGH EACH OF THE BIFURCATE END PARTS OF THE SPACER BAR, AND SCREW FASTENER MEANS EXTENDING BETWEEN THE TWO BODY PARTS FOR CLAMPING THE BODY PARTS TOGETHER AND UPON A CABLE. 